Pine needles are one of the best fuels. Yard grass clippings work, too. Rolled up cardboard is great. Bailing twine, the tan type, is my favorite. An old t-shirt or jeans work well.

There is no reason to ever buy fuel.

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I was using burlap but the price went up a good bit, using pine straw now and notice less tar build up. Emil's smoker always smells nice, he uses old jeans. Schawee uses grass clippings, lasts quite a while and smells kinda nasty to me though. :)

Since you mentioned herb or rather herbs...

Two years ago, I removed a hive from a garage wall interior and the home owner's repair guy busted out some whacky tobaccy. I asked him to blow some of that stuff all up in the hive and we waited to see if the bees had any brownie requests but never really noticed any difference whatsoever, just since you asked! :-D

As well as pine needles I have used the bark from a paperbark tree (Melaleuca) and it burns and smokes profusely. The smoke can be a bit hot at times however but it is very easy to light because of the oils in the bark. Has anyone else tried it??

I don't know if Cedar boughs count as an herb, but it's pretty much all I use. It's supposed to work for mites, and I'll chalk it as a win - cause all the bee troubles I've had weren't mites - and half of those were stupidity or ignorance on my part.

I've used essence of cow (cow paddy) but that was just to keep the smoker lit. Once I learned how to tightly pack the smoker with the pine needles, it was no longer necessary to use them. When it is packed real tight the smoke is very cool, as in cold. :-D Scott and Schawee did a great video on this at Bud4.Jim

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"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."--Mark Twain

Well those special herbs are legal in WA now, so I can mention. Tried some last summer to see if the effect on the bees was any different. I noticed no difference. Frankly I think sawdust is best for me.

Has anyone tried coconut husks for smoker fuel? I have a bag of them when from when I pulled the husks off of some. Going to give them a try this weekend if the weather hold out and was wondering if they work or not.